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Book & Media Reviews

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan

Reviewed by Caitlyn N. (April 2022)

Format: Book

Genre(s): Young Adult Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy

Part of a series?: Yes

The Titan’s Curse is the third book of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia make their way to a boarding school, where they find sibling demigods, Bianca and Nico. Before they are able to safely escort the two to Camp Half Blood, they are threatened by monsters. The goddess Artemis and her Hunters come to their rescue, but are unsuccessful in saving Annabeth from being captured. After returning to camp, Percy and the lieutenant Hunter named Zoë both have nightmares – Annabeth being punished and Artemis being in danger, respectively. Determined to save both of them, Zoë embarks on a quest, bringing along Thalia, Grover, and Bianca. Despite not being permitted to join the quest and knowing the dangers that await them, Percy decides to follow the group, in order to save his friend.

I really enjoyed this book, its plot, and its characters. Several new characters were introduced in this book. Having more than three people in the main cast at once would be a first for this book series. Consequently, there were more people to focus on and learn about, which could be seen as overwhelming or confusing. Even so, I felt that the author did a great job of making the characters loveable, which I found to be a common theme throughout this series. In just one book, I was able to become attached to each of the characters that were included in this main cast. They all had complex backstories and multifaceted personalities, making each of them interesting and alluring. I especially enjoyed the variety of ways they interacted with Percy, because it truly made each character unique.

Rating: 5/5

This book impressed me with how interesting it was. Due to a main character (Annabeth) and a goddess (Artemis) being in danger, the stakes were higher, making the book even more suspenseful and intriguing. The way that this book dealt with more emotional themes made it stand apart from the previous books in the series. Because of the hardships that the group endures on their quest, the reader can sense Percy maturing and growing up. This is something to be proud of, after following along with him throughout his journey in the books thus far. However, it can also be seen as increased tension, as readers wait for what the future holds for him in the following books of the series. I would definitely recommend The Titan’s Curse to those who have read both The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters, as I found it to be an even better read.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Reviewed by Caitlyn N. (April 2022)

Format: Book

Genre(s): Young Adult Fiction, Adventure, Fantasy

Part of a series?: Yes

The Sea of Monsters is the second book of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Percy attends a new boarding school with his newfound friend, Tyson. After being saved by Tyson and Annabeth, Percy and the two make their way to Camp Half Blood, where things have changed since the previous summer. The safety of the camp has been compromised, a new camp counselor has been appointed, and Percy’s best friend Grover is missing. The three embark on a mission to save Grover and the whole camp by venturing into the Sea of Monsters, where they encounter new and old enemies alike.

After reading the first book of the series, The Lightning Thief, I can confidently say that this book did not disappoint. I would often find myself glued to this book because of how immersive it is. Each of the characters were more developed since the previous book, making them even easier to become attached to. As a result, the stakes were higher, making each step of the journey all the more suspenseful. Even so, this book has a good balance between adventure and wholesomeness. The growing friendships between characters, whether they be new or old, are so satisfying to witness. I am excited to see how the future books will handle each of the characters individually and their relationships with each other.

Rating: 4/5

While I liked the characters more in this book than in the previous book, I will say that the overall adventure was not as interesting. The characters had more depth to them and emotional scenes. However, I felt that the villains and enemies in this book did not exude the same amount of intimidation as the ones in the previous book. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book to those who have read The Lightning Thief.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Reviewed by Caitlyn N. (April 2022)

Format: Book

Genre(s): Romance novel, historical fiction

Part of a series?: No

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a book that takes place in New England in the 1600s. Hester Prynne was found guilty of committing adultery. After being publicly shamed by her entire Puritan village, Hester is given the scarlet letter A that she must adorn as a constant reminder of her sins. While Hester’s lover keeps his identity a secret, she must handle both shunning from the community and raising her daughter alone. Meanwhile, Hester’s husband makes his return to New England and is filled with vengeance. The novel follows Hester’s everlasting punishments and how she attempts to overcome them. Not only that, but it seems as if Hester is not the only one to experience suffering from the cruelty of society. As a Romantic piece of literature, The Scarlet Letter discusses the acceptance of emotions, themes of solitude, empowerment of the outcast, and criticisms of society.

Hawthorne’s writing style is one that can be very blunt, while also using many literary elements to depict deeper ideas. Typically, I find the writing of historical fiction to be difficult to follow, but I actually really enjoyed this book because of Hawthorne’s bluntness. He made his themes very clear to the readers, but also had many deeper meanings hidden behind various literary elements. As a result, it was very interesting to analyze each of Hawthorne’s characters. I would recommend this book to readers that enjoy analyzing symbolism and characterization.

Rating: 3/5

The overall plot of the book was entertaining and I enjoyed each of the characters’ arcs. However, it was often repetitive or overly descriptive, which made reading it mundane at times.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Reviewed by Caitlyn N. (March 2022)

Format: Book

Genre(s): Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy Fiction, Adventure

Part of a series?: Yes

The Lightning Thief is the first part of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Percy Jackson is a twelve year old boy, who has spent his life moving from school to school, being treated as a bother, and never feeling like he fit in. When mysterious events occur that only Percy can see, his world is turned upside down and he is exposed to a world where Greek mythology has come to life. Percy finds himself at Camp Half-Blood, a refuge and summer camp for the children of Greek gods. Chaos between Greek gods ensue, so Percy and his friends, Annabeth and Grover, embark on a journey to resolve it. The three heroes must search for Zeus’s stolen lightning bolt before it’s too late, all while facing Greek mythological creatures from their worst nightmares.

This book was a worthwhile read that had me reluctant to ever put it down. The author, Riordan, does a fantastic job of making this fictional world come to life. As someone who opened this book knowing next to nothing about Greek mythology, I felt myself being able to picture every creature, object, and environment so clearly because of his use of imagery. Not only was the ambience incredibly immersive, but Riordan’s use of characterization also allowed his characters to truly come to life. Each of the main characters were written with admirable qualities, fitting for a hero, as well as small details that make them feel just like any other kid. This made the book that much more enjoyable, because readers can sense themselves in the characters and feel like they are tagging along in the journey.

Rating: 5/5

For these reasons, I would rate this book a 5/5. I would also recommend it to preteens/teenagers, or really anyone who enjoys a book of fantasy and adventure with lovable characters. Even if you’re like me and weren’t interested in Greek mythology previously, I would recommend giving this book a try, for a chance to explore a whole new world.

The Lightning Thief is the first of the series, skillfully introducing this Greek mythological world and Percy Jackson to the audience. I personally have not read the other installments of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. However, I found myself wanting to run to the library as quickly as I could to continue reading, as I can’t wait to find out what happens next in Percy’s adventures.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild by Nintendo

Reviewed by Melissa A. (March 2022)

Format: Video game

Director: Hidemaro Fujibayashi; Producer: Eiji Aonuma

Part of a series?: Yes

Breath of the Wild is one of the more recent installments in the popular Zelda series that has the player dropped into the familiar world of Hyrule and saving Princess Zelda once again. The game opens with Link, our main character, waking up from a hundred year slumber with little to no memory of the events that led to the kingdom’s demise. The player learns of these events by visiting four significant villages who each had a member of their people (The Zora, Gorons, Rito and Guerdo) at the calamity. The player has Link slowly regain his memory while also working towards the eventual goal of saving the princess who is still trapped in Hyrule Castle.

I can confidently say this is probably my favorite game. Things like exploration, puzzle solving and fantasy aesthetics are my favorite things when it comes to video games so to have it all nicely put together in one game is amazing. The non linear path and heavy focus on exploration makes the world feel like a living, breathing entity with hidden secrets and large scale discoveries rather than a large map with only a few points of interest and a checkpoint highlighting where I need to go to progress in the story like many other open world games. It gives players the option to take things at their own pace and do whatever they want. In my experience it took me many months to beat the final boss, not because I didn’t play it that much or that it was very difficult but because I just wanted to keep exploring. One minute I’m traveling on some grassy plains with my horse and the next I’m on the other end of the map on top of a mountain trying to quell a giant dragon with my horse long forgotten on a hill somewhere

The puzzles are equally as fun, with them having multiple possible solutions that the game encourages by utilizing true out of the box thinking that aren’t common in puzzle games. On top of it all is the aesthetic of the world, with it’s visuals and music working beautifully together. The game is often praised for being one of the prettiest games on the Switch, which is something I don’t see a lot of people refuting. I remember at points during my time playing where I found myself stopping and just taking the view in. The music, however, tends to be a more divided subject with a common criticism of the game being its lack of music compared to other traditional Zelda games. I feel like the change was a good one though because the lack of music while out exploring makes it feel more natural and also makes moments where music does play much more impactful. The village themes are gorgeous and relaxing, the battle themes range from fun and catchy to anxiety inducing and the songs in between are just as memorable in their own unique ways.

I would recommend the game to almost anyone who enjoys open world, action and puzzle elements in games, even if they aren’t fans of Zelda. When I first picked it up I hadn’t played a single other Zelda game so it isn’t required to have played the others.

Rating: 5/5

Breath of the Wild does so many things right for me that I don’t think another game will beat it as my favorite game for a long time.

The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry

Reviewed by Udochi O. (August 2021)

Format: Book

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction

Part of a series?: No

This story is about an 18-year-old maiden named Dolssa. Dolssa has been declared a heretic by the Catholic Church, as a result of her claiming that she has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, who she calls her “beloved”. The church sentences Dolssa to death by burning; fortunately, Dolssa manages to run away and go into hiding. Botille, a match-maker, who lives with her sisters Sazia and Plazensa, finds Dolssa in the woods and takes Dolssa home with her. Dolssa grows close to and lives with Botille and Botille’s sister and friends. The four live as a family in a town in Provensa, modern-day Provence, France. However, the church continues its search for Dolssa, but Botille and her sisters are determined to protect Dolssa from the church even if it means putting their lives in danger.

I really enjoyed this book! This is the first fictional book I’ve ever read about the crusades and how they affected people even after they were over. The novel was not only educational but also engaging. Though the main characters of the novel are Dolssa and Botille, the other characters such as Botille’s sisters are written so well and have an important role in the story. They are all unique and interesting characters! In addition, the events in the book are very realistic, making the novel both frightening and captivating. When I first finished reading the novel, I disliked the ending – it felt like the book had ended too soon. However, after thinking more about the book, I realized the way that the book ended was actually very fitting. After seeing all the characters’ hardships, I was expecting a happy ending but that wasn’t exactly the case. Instead, Julie Berry made the book very realistic to the time period that the plot took place.

I would recommend this book to anyone that has studied the inquisition and the crusades. Having background knowledge about the crusades and what happened during that time is helpful in understanding the book, though the back of the book does give a summary of it and defines terms in the novel pertaining to that time period. Nevertheless, I would still recommend this book to someone without any past knowledge on the subject. I would say that the book is targeted more towards those in 11th grade or higher.

Rating: 5/5

As previously stated, I really enjoyed the novel. Julie Berry did an excellent job writing about a topic that isn’t written about in most novels.

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

Reviewed by Udochi O. (August 2021)

Format: Book

Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Mystery

Part of a series?: No

Ellery and her twin brother Ezra move to Echo-Ridge to stay with their grandmother while their mother, Sadie, is in rehab. The town the siblings move to is called Echo-Ridge, which has been known for the unsolved killings that took place. Sarah, Ellery’s aunt, went missing when she was seventeen, and Lacy, a neighbor’s daughter and a past homecoming queen, was murdered five years ago. Skip to the present and during homecoming, someone threatens to repeat the same events of five years ago. The entire town is put on edge to find who the killer is and if it was the same person who committed the same crime five years ago. However, before long, another girl goes missing. Ellery, her brother, and some friends get together in order to try to figure out who the murderer is. However, the more information they find, the more secrets and unknowns get revealed.

Overall, I found the novel okay. It started out very strong but started getting a little boring towards the middle. There were times where it was really interesting, but most of the book seemed flat. As a reader, you are expected to keep track of different important details taking place that at one point everything starts losing its importance. There was too much going on at once so when the final reveal came at the end, it felt rushed and random. I was unsatisfied with the ending and there were still some mysteries that were brought up in the book that kinda just get pushed to the side and never answered or explained. Also, I never felt that connected to any of the characters except Malcolm and I am a reader that tends to care more about the characters than the plot. Even the main character, Ellery, didn’t seem to interest me that much.

I would recommend this book to anyone in 8th grade or higher. The book has some disturbing events in it but not anything too drastic.

The book is not a series.

Rating: 3/5

It’s entertaining at parts but not overall. The plot is pretty easy to follow along with so that’s why I gave it a 3.

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley

Reviewed by Sarah R. (July 2021)

Format: Book

Genre: Science Fiction, Alternative History

Part of a series: No

The year is 1898 and London or Londres and most of the English population has been made slaves of because France had won the Battle of Trafalgar. Joe Tournier steps off a train in French-occupied London with a slight case of amnesia. He knows his name, but he doesn’t know where he is or who anybody around him is. He wonders where he belongs and where “home” really is, and when he receives a postcard with a strangely familiar lighthouse and the message “Come home, if you remember,” Joe would do anything to find out what his identity truly is.

Natasha Pulley writes carefully-crafted historical fiction with that dash of fantasy. In this standalone novel, the time slip and alternate history Joe goes through leaves the reader wondering what the hell happened? Rating this novel five stars, I thought the story was brilliant.

I still haven’t stopped thinking about it months after I’ve finished it. I’ve loved the characters (Joe is a clever engineer and a loving father, there’s a Navy captain who shoots with one hand and holds romance books in the other, and a headstrong surgeon who owns her own hospital and who cares for her brother despite everything), the setting, and the delicate yet yearnful queer love story that was built into the undercurrent of the entire story and defied literal time itself.

I’d recommend this novel to anybody interested in science fiction, time travel, and the occasional joke that rags on the French. It’s slow at the start but it really picks up later on, as with all of Natasha Pulley’s books. It’s not that the pacing is bad, it’s that she takes the time to build the world and really explain what’s going on. If you enjoyed this one, you would love her other works: The Watchmaker of Filigree Street and its sequel The Lost Future of Pepperharrow, and The Bedlam Stacks.

Rating: 5/5

Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell

Reviewed by Brendan (July 2021)

Format: Book

Genre: Non-fiction, Psychology

Part of a series?: No

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know is a non-fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell. In the novel, Gladwell examines the misjudgements we make when communicating with strangers (or sometimes those close to us). The book delves into the fascinating concept of “default-to-truth,” or truth-bias theory, in which people assume others to be honest by ignoring the possibility of deception.

Gladwell calls upon multiple real-life examples to show the detriments of this way of thinking: Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler, Sandra Bland, Bernie Madoff, and more.

Overall, I enjoyed the book’s analysis of how human psychology prevents us from being completely rational when speaking with strangers. The examples Gladwell used to back up the theory were interesting as well (the chapter regarding Chamberlain is my favorite).

I wasn’t fond of the topics discussed in some chapters, admittedly due to personal preference. The book deals with weighty topics, like the Larry Nassar and Brock Turner cases. Though I didn’t mind dealing with the intense content too much, the chapters that deal with these examples can be off-putting to some (understandably so).

This book led me to reflect on my personal biases, and how I may be affected by truth-default theory. I recommend this book to anyone interested in cognitive psychology and how it impacts all of us.

Rating: I would rate this book 3.5/5 stars. It may not be my favorite book, but it is definitely worth a read. It isn’t too long either, standing at a modest 388 pages. I was able to finish it in under a week, but your mileage may vary.

It is also available as an audiobook on most audio-streaming platforms. The audio version of the book even has a theme song: “Hell You Talmbout” by Janelle Monae.